maven
/ˈmeɪv(ə)n/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.88 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An expert in a given field; also, a person who is interested in and knowledgeable about a particular activity or thing; an aficionado.
American usage
name
Acronym of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission, a space probe designed to investigate the Martian climate.
Example Sentences
- "Connectors know people—lots of people. Mavens know about things. They know, or find out first, what is going on. Connectors, says [Malcolm] Gladwell, need mavens to tell them what to buzz about."
- "Besides an executive sponsor, you need to find a technology maven, someone within the company who understands the new technology. A maven, as defined in Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, is a person who has both information and the social skills to pass it along. The challenge in a situation such as this one is that the maven might be outside of IT."
- "The goal for any media company is to be a maven—and therefore highly adept at using multiple channels of social media communication well."
Etymology
From Yiddish מבֿין (meyvn, “connoisseur, expert, know-it-all”), from Hebrew מֵבִין (mevín, “one who understands, connoisseur, expert”), from הֵבִין (hevín, “to understand”). The word is said to have been popularized by its use in an advertising campaign for Vita Herring launched in the United States in 1964, which had a character called the “beloved [herring] maven” promoting the product.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: מבֿין, מֵבִין
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmeɪv(ə)n/
- British English: /ˈmeɪvn̩/
Usage
- American usage